The present invention relates to a method and device for determining the alteration of the shape or also the value of a three-dimensional object, in particular a motor vehicle, which has been partially deformed, for example due to an accident, and for example comprises a dent or a pressed-in frontal section.
If, starting from their original state or a state which is to be regarded as new, objects are deformed, for example by the action of an external force, such that for example a car door has a dent after a stone has hit it, or a boot lid is pinched by being pressed in, then these deformed areas are regarded as being damaged, which may result in an insurance payment having to be made. Since such deformations can occur to different extents on different areas, it is necessary to record and if possible quantify said deformation, in order for example to ascertain the loss in value caused by said deformation.
In order to assess the level of damage to a vehicle which has been damaged in an accident, there are damage calculation systems with the aid of which the expected repair costs can be determined. These systems are based on a motor vehicle expert visually identifying the damaged components, determining—depending on the severity of the damage—whether said components can be repaired or have to be replaced, and then transmitting this information to an electronic data processing system. The replacement part prices and the work respectively required in order to exchange said parts are stored in said electronic data processing system. These systems also have a repair logic for when it is not a matter of only one component but rather of several components which are connected to each other and have to be replaced. Said program then also identifies the amount of the repair costs, on the basis of the replacement parts to be replaced and/or repaired. Such methods have been provided in Germany for decades by the companies Audatex and DAT.
Storing an index table—in which a component name and an operation are designated—in a memory, in order to estimate repair costs for a vehicle, is known from JP 2001250009.
JP 2001338090 discloses a system comprising different display modes, in order to estimate the repair costs of a vehicle in accordance with a user's experience.
A system for estimating the costs of a repair to a motor vehicle is known from JP 2002329101, wherein a memory for replacement parts, together with corresponding replacement part prices, is provided.
A device for producing cost estimates for repairs to automobiles is known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,435,769 and the corresponding document DE 31 10 788 A1, wherein a parts file for storing replacement part data is provided.
A method and device for determining characteristic properties of a motor vehicle is known from EP 1 603 054 A1, wherein a database is provided in which characteristic properties are stored for a plurality of groups of motor vehicles which are respectively identical in type. The characteristic properties of the motor vehicle are retrieved from the database with the aid of a motor vehicle identification key.